campaign
29 January 2007
Carletonville: The North West Department of Agriculture, Conservation and
Environment in collaboration with the North West Wetland Forum, will from the
2nd � 9th February 2007 commemorate World Wetland week throughout the province.
The aim of this commemoration is to raise community awareness on the importance
of Wetland sites and the need for their protection. The Forum comprises of the
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Water Affairs and
Forestry, NW Parks and Tourism Board, South African (SA) National Biodiversity
Institute, Central Wetland Rehabilitation and the mining industry. This Forum
is responsible for the conservation of ecosystems as well as their
rehabilitation. The provincial commemoration of World Wetland Day will take
place on the 2nd February (Friday) in Carletonville.
World Wetlands Day has been celebrated annually on the 2nd of February since
1971, with the aim of promoting the conservation and wise use of all wetland
habitats. Wetlands are among the most degraded of ecological ecosystems as a
result of the construction of dams, effluent waste water from industries,
mining, and agriculture.
Wetland is a collective term used to describe land where excess water (water
logging) is the dominant factor determining the nature of the soil and types of
animals living at the soil surface. They (Wetlands) provide critical feeding
and breeding grounds for avian life; they trap spring water to help reduce
flooding, are good for livestock grazing, and serve as a valuable source of
water.
Wetlands were identified by the World Conservation Strategy in 1980 as the
most important life support system because of their high content in organic
matter and because of the important role they play in the hydrological
cycle.
Carrying the theme "In the face of poverty, wetlands are the lifelines" the
North West Wetland forum aims to raise wide awareness on the importance of this
ecosystem and the need for its protection, highlighting people's dependence on
wetlands for their livelihood. Several activities have been organised to
commemorate this year's World Wetland Week. Members of the forum will amongst
others do presentations at various schools, visit wetland sites and
rehabilitation projects sites, involving the broader community.
"We are aware that most of our people do not understand or know the
importance of Wetlands and it is our responsibility as government to ensure
that the information is properly communicated. The awareness campaigns that we
have planned, will focus largely on schools because that is where knowledge is
invested for future use," explained MEC for Agriculture, Conservation and
Environment, Mandlenkosi Mayisela.
The Provincial Wetlands Day commemoration is scheduled to take place as
follows:
Date: 2 February 2007
Time: 10h00
Venue: AB Bailey Nature Reserve (Carletonville)
Members of the Media are invited to this information sharing occasion.
Enquiries:
Ms Lesego Mncwango
Tel: (018) 389 5768
Cell: 082 220 6367
E-mail: Lmncwango@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, North
West Provincial Government
29 January 2007
